Shazier shines in jumps at NFL combine

Ryan Shazier didn’t run the 40-yard dash today at the NFL combine in Indianapolis because of a minor hamstring injury. But that didn’t stop the Ohio State linebacker from impressing in other drills.

Shazier had a vertical jump of 42, the best of any player at the combine so far. His broad jump was 10 feet, 10 inches. He also had 25 reps in the bench press, impressive for a player with his lean body type.

But Shazier is no longer the skinny kid who enrolled at Ohio State weighing 198 pounds and had coaches wondering worried whether he’d be big enough to play linebacker. Shazier said he has added an additional nine pounds from his 2013 playing weight and now weighs 237.

Shazier is considered a second-round pick by most draft analysts, but the athleticism he showed in the vertical and broad jumps will help his chances of working into the first round. Shazier told reporters he expects his 40 time to be in the 4.4s when he runs it, presumably at Ohio State's Pro Day on March 7.

Shazier, a two-time All-Big Ten playe,r led the conference in tackles in 2013.